


Forever and Always

by blanketed_in_stars



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Character Study, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-22 21:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2522858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blanketed_in_stars/pseuds/blanketed_in_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a beautiful day, just about perfect. There's only one thing that could make it better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever and Always

The autumn sunlight streamed through the molting branches like honey while leaves crunched beneath Dean’s feet. The chilly wind made his right hand cold; his left, twined with Cas’s fingers, was warm. There were only a few other people in the park—the day might have been perfect, if not for the way Cas was acting.

It had started an hour or two ago, Dean thought. They had eaten lunch at a table, just an apple for each of them, and then begun their walk, stopping once in a while to kiss under the golden leaves. The entire time, Cas had seemed distracted. His hands were sweaty, and his breaths hitched even when they weren’t kissing. And he seemed to be avoiding Dean’s eyes.

Had he done something wrong? It wasn’t like Cas to bottle up his emotions about things like this. When he was pissed, he just let Dean have it. Of course, Dean didn’t even know what _this_ was. Maybe he was worried about money again. No, he was a little _too_ agitated for that to be it…

Dean stopped walking, and Cas followed suit a moment later as their hands jerked apart by the change in momentum. “Dean?” he asked, squinting quizzically back, gazing at a point on Dean’s forehead.

“What’s going on, man?” Dean demanded, trying to keep his voice gentle but not succeeding. He hated secrets.

“What do you mean?” Cas swallowed visibly.

“You’ve been jumpy and nervous all day. You won’t look at me. Is something wrong?”

Cas shook his head, closing the few steps between them, but it was a jerky, automatic shake. He was suddenly very pale, the only color in his face two flaming spots on his cheekbones. “No,” he said.

“I don’t buy that.” Up close, Dean could see that Cas was sweating. “Jesus, man, what’s up?”

Cas exhaled shakily. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

His frustration was already draining away, although nothing had really been solved. “C’mon.” Dean put a hand on his back. “We’ll go home and you can lie down.”

“No!” Cas stood rooted to the spot and lifted Dean’s hand away. “I—I have to say something. I mean, do something.”

“What is it?”

Cas squeezed Dean’s hand before he dropped it. Then, appearing slightly off-balance, he knelt on one knee, fumbling for something in his pocket. With Dean standing there uncertainly, he pulled out a small red box and popped it open to reveal a thin silver band.

Dean felt like he had the time he’d fallen out of a tree as a kid, all the air knocked out of his lungs. Cas was looking up at him, his eyes impossibly clear and so damn _blue_ that it would have been hard to breathe even if he hadn’t been in shock. There wasn’t a single thought in his head.

“Dean Winchester,” Cas quavered. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Dean Winchester.” His voice was stronger this time. “Will you marry me?”

Dean had known that that would be the next thing he would say; still, actually hearing the words was paralyzing. There was something hot in his chest, in his veins, choking him so that all he could do was stare. He’d wanted—but never actually dreamed—

“Dean?” There was a note of uncertainty in Cas’s tone, and with it, real fear.

Hastily, Dean unstuck his tongue. “God,” he said, the word a gasp. With the unlocking of his voice came a rush of air, but he still couldn’t seem to breathe. There was something on his face; his eyes were burning; he wiped at his cheek and his fingers came away wet. “Fuck you,” he mumbled to Cas. “You made me cry.”

Cas rose to his feet, looking almost tortured. Before he could say anything, Dean threw his arms around him and crushed him to his chest, burying his face in Cas’s shoulder.

There were hesitant hands on his back and a hopeful voice in his ear. “Is that a yes?”

Dean nodded, unable to speak. He’d never cried like this in his life, not even the last time he’d seen John, when everything had been going to hell and he’d hated the thought of living. These were different tears. Now that he’d started, it seemed it was going to be impossible to stop.

But Cas pulled away. “Thank you,” he whispered fervently, his voice almost lost in the rustle of the leaves as he lifted Dean’s left hand again. He slid the ring onto Dean’s finger smoothly, as if he’d done it a million times, but his gaze was on Dean’s face. Dean stared right back, the moment a tangible thing between them, with a blazing smile on Cas’s lips and a sunrise in his eyes.

With a massive effort, Dean stilled his heaving chest and sniffed. He laughed breathlessly. “I got your jacket wet.” He inclined his head at the damp patch on Cas’s shoulder.

Cas brushed away a tear still on Dean’s cheek. “I’m glad.” He looked it. All the anxiety had dissipated, leaving him beaming. Radiant.

Dean smiled and ducked his head. The shock had passed; he felt a balloon of happiness swelling in his chest, filling him up until he thought he would burst. He wouldn’t have minded.

As Cas slipped his hand into Dean’s, the sensation of the ring between their fingers was at once foreign and entirely familiar. Dean’s smile grew wider, stretching across his face so that his cheeks hurt. “You know,” he said, “you didn’t need to be so nervous.”

“Of course I did,” Cas replied, his eyes earnest. “I didn’t know if—if you would—what you would say. I didn’t know if you’d want to be mine.”

The words brought to mind the image of one of those candy hearts with _BE MINE_ stamped across the front. Dean laughed. “I always have been,” he murmured.

Cas sighed, and Dean squeezed his hand, and together they continued down the path with that clear, sweet autumn sunlight warm on their backs.


End file.
